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You're going to eat, drink and be merry for the next little while, aren't you?

That's what this break is all about. Spend some time with family and friends and be thankful for everything that you have. It's the most wonderful time of the year (as the song goes). But, here's the thing: while you're abusing your body in many different, fun and interesting ways, don't forget to take some time to be selfish, self-indulgent and personal. Right before I leave the office, I make sure to grab four books that I plan on reading during the break.

Who am I kidding?

I probably won't read all four (I'll be happy to make it through one of 'em), but it's the intent that matters. I am making a physical effort to think about taking some personal time during the break to make myself smarter. The hopes are that this will bring me a few steps closer to where I want to be by the end of 2013. The books I am walking out of the office with are:

Contagious - Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger. Berger is the James G. Campbell Assistant Professor of Marketing at Wharton University. As if that wasn't impressive enough, his upcoming book, Contagious, is already getting crazy kinds of hype and the book only comes out on March 5th. This is also an advance copy that the publisher sent me. I did a quick glance and noticed that we share the same literary agent, so I suspect this will be the one I will get started with.